Holiday Hint: Enjoy Every Emotion

So far in Holiday Hints I have encouraged you to make a family list of the important traditions which becomes your to do list (L).  Then you enlist the aid of your family and others to complete that list (E).  Last week you checked to make sure you are being realistic (R).  Now let us look at the emotions of the holiday and complete the word "real" in our anagram REAL JOY.

A is acknowledge all emotions. Even though it is a time of sacredness and joy, the holidays often bring up grief.  It is perfectly natural to feel sadness even years after a death.  The Holidays are a time of memories, so sadness can come up, and it is okay.

Take time to mourn through a meaningful ritual such as a trip to a grave site, looking at old pictures, or telling stories of a loved one.  You can then return to the Holiday celebrations with good memories.

If someone you know is feeling grief, allow them to do so.  Be careful how you react and don't judge.  It may be years later after the loss; that is alright.  Support them, encourage them to feel the emotion and help them mourn.

You do yourself and your dead loved one a disservice if you deny your real emotions.  Let yourself or others feel them, go through them, and come out the other side.

Also include humor in your Holidays- it may be a sacred time, but it also is a fun time.  Find joy in the season and share it with all you meet.  It's too easy to be grumpy when stressed, so find the candid camera moment and laugh about it.  I have a great story about a live Christmas tree, a fake tree stand, a sawed off coffee can, six bungee cords, and ten landscaping bricks.  It still makes me laugh; there could have been a hidden camera and I wouldn't have been surprised.

All emotions are possible during the Holiday season; don't stuff or ignore any of them.  Anger is a signal something is uncomfortable or threatening to you.  Happiness, contentment and joy are all indicators of things you want to repeat next year.  Sadness and grief show what you have lost and need to mourn.  All these things fit in the Holidays.

Your courageous work is to recognize, respect, and feel all your emotions this Holiday season.

Click the comment button below and tell us about your Holiday emotions!

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